Industry News
Kristin Harila set out in May this year with the goal of beating her own world record of climbing all 14 true peaks above 8,000m in 2023 in under one year. The Norwegian had completed the world record on May 8, 2023, in one year and five days but decided immediately to set out and beat her own record again.
Kristin Harila had set out in 2022 to beat the 14 peaks record set by Nirmal Purja (also known as Nims or Nimsdai), which initially was deemed to be six months and six days. However, later it was established that Nims had not reached the ‘true summit’ of Manaslu and Dhaulagiri, and he was forced to climb them in 2021, to claim the official world record. Since he had first climbed all 14 8,000+ peaks in 2019, that blew out his total time to more than two years, which was still a world record at the time.
Harila however set out again this year with a goal of beating Nimsdai’s original record of six months and six days and the Norwegian is currently on track, having completed the 11th peak summit after reaching the peak of Gasherbrum II on July 15, 2023. She is now 2 months and 22 days into the attempt of breaking the record and seems well and truly within reach. However, weather in Nepal can change quickly and climbing windows are short.
Harila has several records to her name and also holds the speed climbing record for Everest and Lhotse combined. The 38-year-old beat her own speed climbing record for those two peaks with a time of less than 8 hours.
By May 29, 2023, Kristin and Lama Tenjen Sherpa had climbed seven of the 14 peaks, in a record 1 month and 3 days, becoming the only people in the world to have ever done so.
